A quarter of an hour later, Zhixia listened to the servant's report with a frown, and angrily pulled out the whip from her waist.
"This lunatic! The princess is about to go to bed!"
"Zhixia, let him in." Chu Qingluan's cold voice came from the inner room, and no emotion could be heard.
She wanted to see what other tricks Qi Che was going to come up with.
A quarter of an hour later, when the guards brought Qi Che in, Chu Qingluan was sitting in front of a gilded screen, plucking the strings of the zither leisurely with her fingertips.
A melodious piano sound slowly flowed out from her fingertips, at first like a clear spring flowing over rocks, the tinkling of which was revealed by the softness of the misty rain in the south of the Yangtze River. Suddenly, it turned into the sound of golden swords and iron horses, as if thousands of troops were trampling on the ice.
Qi Che was pressed against the cold gold brick, listening to the murderous intent that flickered in the music of the piano, and the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end.
Finally, after the song was over, Chu Qingluan placed her hands lightly on the strings and plucked them occasionally.
"I heard that you want to die to prove your integrity?" She said calmly without raising her head.
Qi Che broke free from the guards who were holding him, took two steps on his knees and said, "Qing Niang! You can't do this to me!"
He burst into tears, "We clearly agreed at the beginning..."
"How dare you!" Zhixia shouted, "Who allowed you to address the princess by her name?"
At the top, Chu Qingluan finally raised her eyes, her gaze like an ice knife across Qi Che's face full of regret: "I remember, I told you clearly in Jiangnan City."
She raised her fingertips, and the sound of the zither rang out. "What's the matter? Master Qi, have you forgotten what you did? Or do you think I will be as forgetful as you?"
Qi Che's face turned pale, and his lips trembled: "I, I was really confused at that time... Now, I have sincerely repented..."
"Qi Che!" Chu Qingluan interrupted him: "If you still say these clichés, I don't mind sending you back to the Ministry of Justice again."
Qi Che's eyes flashed with panic, and he said hurriedly: "I, no, I heard that His Highness is going to hold a piano party, so I want... I want to ask for a fair chance to compete."
As soon as he finished speaking, the hall suddenly fell into deathly silence.
Everyone looked at Qi Che with crazy eyes.
Where on earth did he get the confidence that the princess would agree to his ridiculous request?
"It's totally unreasonable!" Zhixia was the first to speak up: "How dare you, a criminal, make such a request? Do you want to pee and look at yourself in the mirror to see what you look like now?"
Qi Che's face turned from pale to blue: "I, I can do it."
He knew Chu Qingluan. She was definitely not the kind of woman who was fickle and she took her relationships very seriously.
He thought that the reason she held the piano concert was probably to stimulate him, make him regret, and make him suffer.
But Qi Che really regretted it now, regretted it immensely.
This emotion, like a wave, tortures me all the time.
As long as he could continue to stay by her side, he would accept it even if it meant being her lover.
"Oh!"
Suddenly, a mocking voice came from outside the door. Everyone looked past Qi Che and saw Xie Yunqi, dressed in moon-white brocade, walking in from outside the door. He had his hair tied up with a jade crown and was holding a folding fan. His sleeves fluttered as he walked, and his slightly raised phoenix eyes were filled with a hint of sarcasm.
She is truly an immortal with beautiful appearance.
"Master Qi's repentant appearance reminds me of the monkey show at the West Market last year - they tied a rope around their necks, but they pretended to be playing freely."
Qi Che's face instantly turned pale: "You!"
"What about me?" Xie Yunqi gently waved his folding fan and tried to walk to Chu Qingluan's side. "I heard that Master Qi is going to participate in a zither concert? Is he going to perform 'Tears Behind Bars?' or 'Ode to Confession?'"
He folded his fan and said, "But are you sure that your hands, which have been used to dig out horse manure, can distinguish the Qing Gong, Shang Jiao, Zheng Yu?"
These words are tantamount to naked humiliation and insult.
As everyone knows, Qi Che was born in a poor family and had never been exposed to such elegant things as the zither since childhood. This time, Xie Yunqi deliberately said it in public, which was louder than a slap in the face.
As expected, Qi Che was so angry that he trembled all over: "Xie Yunqi, you are just relying on your family background..."
"That's better than some people who take advantage of the grace of saving their lives to do shameful things. His Highness has allowed you to be a horse slave in the Princess's mansion, which is already a great grace. What qualifications do you have to question His Highness's marriage now?"
Qi Che collapsed to the ground, clenching his teeth: "Why did Prime Minister Xie insult me? I just wanted to fight for another chance."
He turned to look at Chu Qingluan, tears in his eyes, and said unwillingly: "Your Highness, you want to choose a prince consort. Which of these powerful sons is not coming for your power? Only I..."
"Drag him out!" Chu Qingluan waved her hands in boredom and ordered in a cold voice, "Lock him up in the woodshed. If he makes trouble again, throw him to the Ministry of Justice."
Until Qi Che's howling gradually faded away, Chu Qingluan was still staring ahead thoughtfully, no one knew what she was thinking about.
Xie Yunqi took a step forward and stood beside her: "Your Highness is still too kind."
Chu Qingluan sighed softly: "Death is easy, but suffering while alive is the punishment."
She didn't kill Qi Che because she still remembered the life-saving grace he gave her.
But if he is tactless and keeps touching her bottom line, she thinks she will not be lenient.
Seeing this, Xie Yunqi took the opportunity to change the subject: "Speaking of the Qin Club... Your Highness really wants to choose a concubine?"
His tone was slightly tense: "Have you thought it through?"
Chu Qingluan glanced at him calmly and said, "Minister Xie is too lenient."
She turned and walked to the window, with her back to him: "Since your injury is no longer serious, you can go back to Xie Mansion to recuperate tomorrow morning."
"Your Highness, are you going to send people away so soon?" Xie Yunqi followed slowly, and suddenly raised the handle of his folding fan, trying to lift up a strand of Chu Qingluan's hair, "Then I will have to attend the Qin Contest even more."
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
